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NOT a good year for me so far.

16-16 headed into the weekend.

5 elite eight teams left

3 final four teams left.

On the upside, I picked FGCU and Ole Miss. I almost looked awesome with Southern, but stupid Gonzaga had to win.

I started doing brakets before I really started following college basketball because my friends were doing a pool and I decided to get in on it. Of course, I knew nothing beyond how teams were seeded and I didn't want to go with that, so I developed my own personal mascot challenge system. I choose every games based on which mascot would win in a fight. Sometimes it's obvious (eg. a Wolverine beats a jackrabbit 10 times out of 10) but sometimes it gets interesting and you have to do some reasearch. Does a Spartan beat a Trojan (yes. A Spartan would never fall for the old wooden horse trick) Does a commodore beat a boilermaker (again, yes. Presumably the commodore has a fleet, or at least a warship , at his disposal. The Boilermaker just has a train.)

I haven't done my bracket yet this year, so I haven't had a chance to look at any particularly interesting matchups, but if you need help deciding a game, I suggest using the mascot method. 

I can't speak for most of these arenas, but I thought the write up on the Berry at NMU was pretty much spot on. I grew up going to games at the old Lakeview Arena and then the Berry and always had a great time. Also, Marquette is great and everyone should visit.

Seriously, bring us your tourism dollars.

you can't really tell from the still image, but in a video replay you can see his arm get pushed into his helmet which forces the ball out, so I dont thing that rule would apply anyway.

I believe you mean Michigaine Stadium

I know you specifically mentioned hand rolled, but I'm going to completely ignore that and suggest http://international.villiger-cigars.de/en/round-and-pressed.html . Specifically the box pressed, maduro variety. 

I have very little experince with cigarillos or flavored cigars, but those little Villigers cheap and a really excellent short smoke.

See mgo.licio.us:

 http://holdintherope.blogspot.com/2012/06/espn-skip-bayless-and-where-this-is-all.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HoldinTheRope+%28Holdin%27+The+Rope%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

I think they'd have a hard time selling out the big house, but the Crisler center might work, especially considering that it'll be newly renovated and worth showing off. I don't know the construction timeline, though. Anyone know when it's supposed to be completed?

Similar situation here. I grew up in Marquette and went to tons of NMU games, but went to school at U-M. I'm always torn when these two play.

Alternating bottles of Pacifico with Seagram's gin & tonics. Woo!

True story.

http://deadspin.com/5302475/the-sad-hilarious-tale-of-elvis-grbac-1998s-...

Diet Hate Week.

It's not particularly common, but it seems like there's always one or two in the band.

There was only one time, It was during the 3rd quarter, that I noticed any issue. Other than that one instance I thought they sounded great.

I was section 31 row B.

Another fun fact: I'm from Marquette. I feel like we shouldn't delve into your Marquette story any more. Things might get weird.

I'd just like you all to know that the I'm the dude rocking the French Braids in pictures 1 and 3. That is all.

Back in my day...

North Campus area (Plymouth and North) had no power anywhere from before I got home (around 9) to 10:30. All the street lights and traffic signals were out and everything.

Confirmed. It will definitely be on ESPN3

Beer? I opened a beer when it OP posted an unsubstantiated rumor; it's time for hard liquour now.

1) My History Colloquium "World of the Ship" with David Hancock. He also teaches a freshman level history course (I think its US history or something similar) which peolple I've talked to didn't care for. I know that he doesn't really like teaching it either, but he has to. His Senior level colloquium, though, is fantastic. If you're a history major I highly reccomend taking it if it's available.

2) Education 222 "Video Games and Education" with Professor Fishman. It's about video games. Need I say more? (actually, not only is the class really fun, but I actually learned a lot about educational theory.)

Mazel tov!

Technically, THIS is maize.  I'd say it's closer to today's yellow than that of decades past.

I still remember my first game as a student in '07...although I try to forget.

Mine is a simple block M on my calf (about 4 inches tall) just in black and it ran me about 130 at Name Brand Tattoo in Ann Arbor. From what I've heard and experienced a simple tattoo at a "respectable" establishment is going to start at at least $100.

This is the same in Football now. As long as the colors are contrasting either team can wear whatever they want. Home team gets first pick, and I believe the visiting team needs their permission to wear something that's maybe not quite as contrasting as white. 

Ditto that for Northern Michigan and Lake Superior State. All three UP universities compete in DI for Hockey but DII (or III?) in most other major sports.

Arcade Barber in Nickel's Arcade (shocker, right?) is my favorite. I've been to State Street and Coach & Four, and as cool as they are, I still don't think they compare to Arcade Barber.

Do you still come in to the shop?

I've got to say, I think the grad students have it right. I'd much rather go to Bab's/The 8-Ball/The Blind Pig/Alley Bar/Heidelberg/Circus than any of the South U joints.

Compliments of Seline's (I think) own Gameboi:

EDIT: I guess I'm not as good at embedding as I thought. Here's the link:

http://gameboi.bandcamp.com/track/hail-to-the-victors-ft-buff1

I, for one, am shocked (SHOCKED!) to hear that. Where?

Plowing the roads does make a huge difference. I think the mindset also makes a difference. In Marquette (and the rest of the UP I suppose) people see half a foot of snow and think "Hrm. Time to shovel." While in Ann Arbor people see 6" of snow and think "THE END IS NIGH. JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL!"

Not sure what I'm drinking yet, but I'm headed to the Blue Lep with some friends to celebrate the Hockey win. 

UPDATE: Ended up at Ashley's (a much better choice than Blue Lep), had some Viking Blod mead, Anchor Steam and a few double cream stouts. Wound up at a friend's place drinking PBR and playing Bitch Cup. A good night, I'd say.

Dynasty!

A friend of mine's dad is an alum and he pronounces it eewey-pyooey (maybe that's what you were going for. Phonetics am hard)

EDIT: Also, great post. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it... and you've rekindled my desire to give paintball a shot. Can tou reccomend somewhere in the Ann Arbor area that would be a good for a group of relative-to-complete noobs would have a good experience giving it a shot?

I just started getting the warning while using Chrome, nothing from other browsers.

(And woo Glenn Schembechler!)

Here's a slightly tougher one, what was Bump Elliott's real first name?

Whew. Thank God for intro stats.

Good ol' Stats 350, the most useful class that I hated every moment of.

Fair enough. I still disagree, but at least it's for something other than "hurr durr, band is dumb".

Lady Gaga was a huge hit, Boy bands a fews years ago was also a hit. Why should we have expected this one to be any different? It's not like we can put on a show like Cody Martin's Day Off or The Wizard of OZ every week.

Be glad we put on a new show for every home game. It's not at all uncommon for bands to only put on 2 or 3 different shows a year and repeat them every week.

As a Michigan fan I find this awesome

As a Packers fan I object to the cheese head being used to represent a team other than The Packers (especially a team I hate).

Pardon me. Watch all the porn you want on University computers. As long as you don't cross the line into public indecency/indecent exposure it's totally cool.

It's not just "some xylophone/marimba music". It's an arrangement of "The Victors".

7:30 - Band rehearsal

9 - Rehearsal ends. Tailgate briefly

10:30 - Changed an in place for visualization/parade step off

12:00 - Kickoff

5:00 - Home

She was. She tried conducting us (the MMB) during "The Victors". It was...bad.

UPDATE: The UMASS band is indeed still performing and will be rehearsing on Elbel field from 2-4 today. Anyone interested in going to catch a sneak peak of their show is more than welcome to attend.

And as always, all are welcome to stay until 4:45 to watch the MMB rehearse.

I, for one, will certainly be there to watch them.

Thanks for posting this. I promise when we do it this week for UMASS it will be much more polished.

My god... look at Carl's hair!

...weeks like this are the one problem with the band going to ND. I'll be on a bus at 7 am, at the game all afternoon and on a bus home until 12:30 or so. I hope to go the busses have wifi or I'm going to be missing a lot of quality football this weekend.

Problem with a star wars themed halftime show is that it's very difficult/expensive to get permission from John Williams/BMG (I think) for a whole show. Stands tunes are cheaper and easier to obtain permission for. 

Also, the idea behind the the star wars tune we have is to play it when Tate takes the field. (the tune is actually called "The Forcier")

Yeah, I was going to make an edit and give my self the good ole' "hurr durr, I can reed" but you replied too quickly.

ALSO: 

If you're the early riser type you can catch some or all of the MMB's morning practice at Elbel Field. I'm not sure what time kickoff is for BG, but we start at 7:30 for noon kickoffs and 9 for 3:30 kickoffs.

That has been a nice thing about the Addidas switch. Even the band is getting some swag, which I never saw with Nike.

You forgot "Who's your pick for the MgoBannerContest?"

Does the:

"sorry if this has been posted or if im posting an Mgousers video."

 

Just absolutely make this post for anyone else?

If im lebron i leave cleveland too, "the decision" was overboard but it did raise 2.5 million dollars for the boys and girls club. He said all along it was all about winning and in the end he went to the team that he felt gave him the best chance to do that. The fans in Cleveland need to get over the feeling of betrayal, he was a free agent and he did'n't owe anything to the fans just for the fact that he is from Ohio. Gilberts letter even furthers my point, maybe this rage is not so out of character for gilbert, and if thats the case he is really the one with no class and i cant blame lebron for not wanting to play for him.

As a yooper I always defined the bridge to be the "Up North" line, but after a few years at U-M this has become too inconvenient (I would get excited when people said they were from Northern Michigan and meant Bay City or Gaylord) so in my mind "Northern Michigan" is Bay City to the Bridge, and everything north of that is God's Country.

I believe he was also the Illinois High School Chess Champion. Can anyone confirm/deny?

We didn't just say "no you can't use it". They were looking for the drill charts from pyware, software used to design halftime shows. (In fact, if you go to www.pyware.com you can see them bragging about pyware being used to design the marching band segments in NCAA football 10.)

Anyway, the MMB's pregame routine predates these programs and we don't use them for it. In fact, the pregame we do now is somewhat different from the pen-and-paper drill charts, because little changes from season to season have accumulated and never been recorded, everyone just knows how it's currently done. This cause some consternation when we got a new band director in '07 who was trying to read the pregame drill off of the charts and everyone in the band knew it differently.

Biff, Bump, Bo.

Sinistar. No question.

If you're in Ann Arbor, do yourself a favor and go to Comet Coffee in Nickels Arcade. It's not free but it actually tastes good (scratch that. It actually tastes AWESOME. Best coffee in Michigan.)

I hate...

1. LS&A's language requirement
2. Econ 101 (and 102 to a lesser degree)
3. Long distance relationships
4. That I keep buying NCAA football every year even though it never really changes
5. people who come into the store I work at and complain about the smoke (I work at a tobacco shop. What do you expect it to smell like?!)
6. Crappy Cigars (I'm looking at you, White Owls!)
7. Wisconsin, Notre Dame and OSU Marching Bands
8. That I haven't been to a bowl game yet
9. The Detroit Free Press
10. Starbucks Coffee
10.5 people who think that the drinks at Starbucks are real coffee.

I'm right there with ya. I hate having my econ, History and Stats exams on the same day. Also, they will most likely cause me to miss the draft. Also, I have a 10 page term paper due the day after.

ugh.

Just bought the Razer Gaming Headset! I <3 Wootoffs!

As a band geek I fully support the signing of this kid.

(For not band geeks: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Philip_Sousa )

I thought it was just alright. Solid B rating I think.

Ditto that.

Worst part of being at Michigan? Can't get the Packer game half the time. Sometimes I wish I was back home in Marquette

Tough to choose, but I think I've narrowed it down to 3. Don't make me chose between them.

1a - "If I didn't believe in you" from The Last 5 Years

1b - "Finishing the Hat" from Sunday in the park with George

1c - "Try to Remember" from The Fantastiks

Ave Q will be in Ann Arbor soon, for anyone who's in town. I don't remember the exact date, but it's sometime near the end of the month, early April

I'm glad you mentioned Greywalls. It's a great course outside of Marquette and definitely worth hitting if you're making a trek up to the UP. But don't take my word for it...

Top 10 New Courses You Can Play, December, 2005 Golf
America’s Best New Courses (Upscale Public, Third), January, 2006 Golf Digest
Best of the World 2005 - New Courses, Fall 2005 The Golfer
Top Ten Best New Courses of 2005, January, 2006 Travel & Leisure GOLF
Public Access Courses, #3 in Michigan, March 8, 2008 Golfweek

EDIT: forgot to mention that Marquette golf and country club also has another, slightly easier, course that's also pretty good, especially if you have some people who are kind of new to golf.

Stats 350. It's a 3 hour lecture, which can ruin any class, but it's especially excruciating in here.

According to the news letter I got, Lamarr Woodley will also be a guest judge.

Now we all HAVE to go. You wouldn't want to piss of Lamarr Woodley, would you?

When I was 10 my mother busted me as I was trying to steal junior mints from ShopKo.

I've stolen numerous things from my high school and deliberately took down the school's internet network so we would have the day off in my physics class.

Yeah, I don't know how much your son is really going to learn at the camp, but it would almost certainly be a great experience for him. My brother (is a traitorous swine) went to MSU's basketball camp this summer and absolutely had a fantastic time. I know he really enjoyed getting to stay in the dorms, meet players and coaches and play in the Breslin Center.

Now I just need to convince him to come to M's basketball camp, he has a good "white guy with good fundamentals and grit" background.

So, yeah, if it's economically feasible I say it's probably worth it to send him.

It garnered a smirk from me until the repairman bit. Then it got an audible laugh, so I guess that means it was successful.

"Happy cows come from California"

Trust me, I'm from the UP and know quite a few 'Sconnies. That one's sure to get 'em riled up.

They showed some clips of him dominating guys during practice during the week and had some pretty high praise for him during those clips, too.

I haven't read Under the Dome yet (I got it for christmas, but don't have the time right now) but I agree that a lot of his recent stuff has been really great. Lisey's Story might be my favorite King book now.

I seem to recall NMU also having one that went something like that.

I've heard that "Hyperion" is also very good, but I haven't read it yet. It's sitting on my book shelf, mocking me, while I read books for class.

I didn't actually read everyone's additions, but there's one series that my conscience requires that I post.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin

Four huge books (They average around 1000 pages each, with at least three more on the way. They're technically fantasy, but have a lot more to do with political intrigue and conflict than they do with magic. A word of warning, though: Martin is a notoriously slow writer, so there's a good chance that you'll get caught up and then wait for 3-5 years for the next book like I did.

Other good books of note:
A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn (There was just a thread about the late Mr. Zinn and his book a few days ago, shouldn't be hard to find.)

Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons (he does horror as well as Stephen King. Some might even say better.)

Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond (An absolutely enlightening read dealing with the "fates of human societies" and why different cultures developed how they did.)

As a Packers fan I was going to say the same thing, but you seem to have it covered. So, +1 for you, sir.

Great timing! I've been playing for the last 5 hours, and just thought I'd check here before bed.

Take it from me. As someone who has played BG, BGII (Still my favorite game of all time), Neverwinter Nights, KoTOR, KoTOR 2, Jade Empire and Mass Effect, I can confidently say that I LOVE DA:O. It is definitely worth the money/time investment. I'm currently on my second playthrough. My first time I pretty much stuck to the main storyline (which is great) and and I still had less than 50% of game content unlocked. This time I'm going for 100% (or as near to it as I can get.) I don't recall how many hours it was, but it took a bit longer than a week of playing every day to get it wrapped up.

Another thing I enjoyed is that there are a lot of little references to Bioware's previous games, especially BGII. You can see a list here, but there may be spoilers. Fair warning.

http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Easter_Eggs

I haven't done any looking myself, so I can't back this up, but from what I've heard the team is in the midst of rebuilding this year, and there are several guys who probably could have contributed this season, but they're redshirted.

Anyone care to confirm/deny/elaborate on this?

My evening has consisted of watching classic movies that I've never gotten around to seeing.

Already made it through Wag the Dog and Yojimbo and I'm part way through One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

It's good to finally get these all taken care of. Netflix is a Godsend.

Are the links broken for anyone else?

The BBall band is a bit larger than it has been in years past primarily due to the team's success last year. We'll have to see if it persists to next season.

Also, I didn't think you sounded condescending at all, and as a bandsman I'm generally pretty quick to take offense at message board comments on the band ;-)

(ok, not really lately. More like for the last 3-4 years)

Kaki King
Fleet Foxes
Phoenix
Rilo Kiley
Jens Lekman
The Decemberists
Eisley

The camera microphones help

I've got a Brenthaven bag ( http://www.brenthaven.com/catalog-fusion-iii-mb.html ) that I'm really happy with. My only complaint is that there's not a lot of room for large objects after the laptop (read: textbooks) so far it hasn't been an issue, but I could see how it might be for some people.

Too bad it's just called "The Victors".

Still, I appreciate the sentiment.

We've about 19-20 inches in the backyard right now. It's good to live in the UP.

It seems that it's not only an issue here...

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2009/12/7/case-bathroom-shouldnt-north/

Custom zippos would be a cool idea. Even if they don't smoke or anything, a lighter is often convenient to have. Plus, zippos always look cool and come with lifetime guarantees, so no worries down the road.

Also, his official job title is Majordomo.

I'm right there with ya, thorn.